Male Bonding(A McRoll in the REAL World collaboration--Mari & Sammy)
by sammy1026
Summary: While Jenna and Catherine get pedicures Steve takes Jacob and Cody go-kart racing.


_**Mari's Notes:**_

_Sammy, cheers to another fabulous time collaborating, Partner. You make everything that much more special. Here's to many, many more co-authored stories. I look forward to the next one!_

_Ilna, you are the bestest! I adore the Allens so thank you again for creating this wonderful array of characters. It's an honor to write them. I look forward to having them grow up in the REAL World!_

_REALMcRollers, you are the best readers anyone could ever wish for. Your support and love is overwhelming. Thank you all._

_**Sammy's Notes:**_

_It's always a pleasure to collaborate with Mari. This one was no different. I had a ball. Can't wait for the next one._

_Ilna, you are as delightful as a plate of ketchupy eggs at the end of a long night. Thanks for the perspective, the inspiration and mostly for being a kick ass friend. Thanks for the scene idea and dialogue assist on this one_

_Sandy-just when we think we've seen all the craziness fandom has to offer it tops itself. Thanks for being there to share the ride._

_REAL Worlders-you guys are the awesomest awesome that ever awesomed. Thanks so much for all your support and encouragement._

* * *

**Male Bonding (1/1)**

**Allen's Apartment**

**Saturday 10:10 A.M.**

Cody and Jacob were waiting, with varying degrees of patience, in the living room of the Allen's apartment for Steve to pick them up to go go-kart racing. Cody smiled affectionately at his youngest brother who was bouncing happily around the room, too excited to sit still.

Chin and Kono picked up Casey and Dylan several minutes earlier en route to the batting cages and Kaitlyn left an hour before with Grace and Danny for Grace's cheerleading competition. The youngest Allen daughter had dreams of becoming a cheerleader herself someday and had been so thrilled about getting a chance to watch a live competition she barely slept the previous night.

Cody reached out from his position sitting on the couch to slide the coffee table a few inches to the left, out of the way, as Jacob attempted to do a headstand in the middle of the floor.

He wobbled for a few seconds, his feet flailing in the air, before falling over. Almost immediately he popped to his feet and looked at his brother with dancing eyes.

"Dylan has a girlfriend," he said in a sing-song voice.

Cody chuckled. "He's ten. What's he gonna do with a girlfriend?"

"I asked Lieutenant Catherine to be my girlfriend after we went shopping, but then I found out she already has a boyfriend." Jacob turned serious. "Dylan said you can't ask another guy's girlfriend to be your girlfriend or he'll get mad." He moved closer to Cody and toed the carpet nervously. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Cody, is the Commander mad at me?"

Cody ruffled his brother's hair. "No, of course he's not mad at you."

Jacob looked up with hopeful eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Has he ever acted mad?"

"No, I don't think so," Jacob said uncertainly.

Cody sighed. "You can ask him yourself. He's picking us up soon."

At those words Jacob ran across the room and bounced impatiently next to a mark on the door frame. "Can you measure again, Cody? Pleeeease. Just to be sure."

"I already measured three times," Cody sighed. "I'm sure."

"Just once more," Jacob pleaded with his hands clasped together. "To be super-duper sure."

Cody smiled as he picked up a tape measure off the coffee table and crossed the room. He placed the tape measure against the wall and smiled at Jacob who was holding his breath as if he was worried the results would have changed in the last ten minutes. "Forty eight and a **half** inches," he said, emphasizing the half.

"YES!" Jacob jumped in the air and came down in a ninja stance he'd seen many times on his favorite cartoon. "I'm tall enough to drive a go-kart."

"Yes," Cody smiled. "You are."

Jenna entered the room and placed her purse on the couch. "Are you boys ready to go?"

"I'm tall enough to drive a go-kart," Jacob clapped happily.

"I know," Jenna said enthusiastically. "You make sure you behave for Commander McGarrett." She smoothed down his hair. "You do what he tells you to do."

"I will," Jacob promised as he squirmed away.

Just then there was knock on the apartment door. Cody opened it to find Steve on the other side.

"Hi," he said with a tilt of his head. He moved aside to let Steve enter.

"Hi," Steve replied as he stepped past Cody. "Hi, Jenna. Hi, Jacob."

"Hi, Commander. Guess what?" Jacob ran to the doorframe. "I'm tall enough to drive a go-kart. Cody measured me seven times."

"Seven?" Steve laughed.

"Three," Cody chuckled.

Steve examined the mark on the doorframe then squatted down in front of Jacob. "You're getting very tall," he said seriously.

"I know!" Jacob threw his hands in the air. "I might get as tall as you."

"You might," Steve nodded with a smile.

"Thanks for doing this, Steve," Jenna said.

"My pleasure. Cath will be here in a few minutes. She stopped to get gas. Are you looking forward to your pedicure?"

"I really am," Jenna smiled genuinely. "I haven't had one in a very long time."

"Well I hope you girls have fun. We," he indicated the boys, "are off to drive go-karts."

"Yay!" Jacob opened the apartment door and headed out into the hall. Cody followed him.

"Be good," Jenna called to their retreating forms. "Listen to Commander McGarrett."

* * *

**K1 Speed Hawaii**

**Saturday 10:40 A.M.**

Steve turned into the parking lot of the K1 Speed facility in Kapolei and found an open space close to the building. It looked as though they weren't overly crowded which he thought would work out well for the boys' first time racing, especially Jacob.

Everything about the gray, red, black and white paint scheme on the building screamed racing. As they crossed the blacktop they could hear the roar of engines from inside. As they entered through the glass doors into the spacious lobby Jacob tugged at Steve's hand.

"I think I have to go to the bathroom."

"You think you have to go?" Steve smiled.

Jacob stood still and screwed up his face. "No, I'm sure I have to go."

"I'll take him," Cody offered, pointing to the restroom which we just across the foyer.

"I want the Commander to take me," Jacob stated.

"Jacob … " Cody began.

"It's fine." Steve took his wallet out of his pocket, removed a credit card and handed it to Cody. "Why don't you go ahead and get us signed in. Get the safety equipment and everything we need and tell them I'll be over in a minute to sign the slip."

Cody's shoulders squared a little and it didn't escape Steve's notice. "We'll meet you over at the counter after we … " he jerked his thumb towards the bathroom

* * *

Steve and Jacob exited the bathroom a few minutes later and headed towards the spot where Cody stood waiting in front of the registration counter. After a few steps Jacob slowed.

"Commander?" He toed the ground and peeked up at Steve.

"Yeah, Jacob?"

"Thanks for not being mad at me."

Steve was genuinely caught off guard with the little boy's earnest statement. "Mad at ... why would I be angry with you, Jacob? We're friends."

"Cause, well ... I didn't know Lieutenant Catherine had a boyfriend, and it was _you_. Dylan said you can't ask another guy's girlfriend to be _your_ girlfriend, or he'll get mad."

Steve bit back a grin. "That's okay, Jacob, I get it."

The little boy nodded and let out a sigh, clearly relieved. He met Steve's eyes. "Good. Cause Lieutenant Catherine said she was too old anyway, but I'd have married her if she waited till I was old, too." He shrugged. "You know, like older than twenty." His nose scrunched up as he concentrated before he spoke again. "You're older than twenty, right?"

Steve's eyes crinkled as he fought to hold in a chuckle. "Yeah," he nodded solemnly. "Much older than twenty. I'm even older than Lieutenant Catherine."

"_Really_?" Jacob's eyes widened. "How old?"

"Thirty eight."

Jacob regarded Steve with absolute seriousness. "Wow. That's a high number."

"I guess it is." Steve's lips twitched in a half smile.

"Yeah." Jacob nodded solemnly then his face immediately brightened. "Hey, Commander, know what?

Steve could see exactly why Catherine was so enamored with the little guy. "What, Jacob?"

"If I can't be Lieutenant Catherine's boyfriend, I'm really glad it's you."

Steve bent to the boy's eye level and placed a gentle hand on the small shoulder. "I'm really glad it's me, too."

They walked a few paces and Jacob reached for Steve's hand. The gesture reminded him of the first time Gracie did the same thing, and how amazed he'd been with her absolute comfort in doing so.

At the time, Steve couldn't even recall when he'd last held a child's hand. Probably Mary's when he was a teenager.

Jacob stopped short and pulled on their joined hands and Steve stopped walking to look at him.

"Commander? You know how Lieutenant Catherine comes to my school?"

"I do." Steve smiled. "She has a lot of fun."

"One time she read us _two_ books." He held up two fingers to make his point. "One was about monkeys."

"Did you like that one?"

"I liked 'em both. They were cool books. Could … " he was talking so excitedly he had to take a breath. "Could you maybe come to my school, too? You could meet my friends, and Mrs. R. and see my room ... my art project is up on the bulletin board …" The blue eyes studying Steve so intently danced with happiness at the thought of another of his special friends visiting his class as he added, "I mean, on a day when you're not catching all the bad guys …"

"Ya know what, Jacob? That sounds great." Steve smiled and saw Jacob's little face light up with joy. "I was kinda hoping you'd ask."

Steve's thoughts ran immediately to a game plan when he was caught off guard by Jacob dropping his hand and flinging his arms around Steve's legs in a hug. "Thank you!"

"Hey, Jacob, Buddy." Steve patted the little boy's back as he returned the hug. "Thanks for inviting me. We'll have fun, right?"

Jacob nodded and stepped back, returning Steve's offered fist bump with absolute glee. "Right! And Lieutenant Catherine could come with you and you can show everyone your badges. And we can all eat lunch in the cafeteria together…"

Jacob took Steve's hand again and they moved towards Cody. "When you come to my school?" typical for his age, he phrased the statement like a question. "I'm gonna draw a picture for you and Lieutenant Catherine that you can take home to your house."

"We'd really like that," Steve said with a smile as somewhere inside, he shuddered in disgust at a man he'd never met for leaving five kids to grow up without his presence.

* * *

Jacob and Cody stood side-by-side listening intently as the instructor completed the safety lecture and moved on to basic go-kart operation. Steve couldn't resist pulling out his phone and snapping a few pictures of the boys' identical stances, left hand on hip, helmet clutched in the right.

Steve found out from talking to the registration clerk that the crowd would likely be light in the morning being as it was the closing weekend of the popular Honolulu Merrie Monarch Festival but the place would probably start to fill up in the afternoon. At peak times the junior racers were put into their own heats, separate from the older racers, but at least for the morning he, Cody and Jacob would all be able to race together.

The instructor finished up, asked if anyone had any questions and when there were none, he directed the racers towards the go-karts. Steve prepared to help Jacob get situated in one of the junior karts but held back a little as he watched Cody put his hand on his brother's back and guide him to a kart.

"No, I want this one," Jacob said darting slightly to his left. "This one is redder."

"More red," Cody corrected with a small smile.

"More red," Jacob repeated as he happily scrambled into the kart. "I like red."

"I know you do."

Steve smiled as he watched Cody buckle Jacob's seatbelt and make sure his head sock and helmet were firmly in place.

"You ready?" Cody asked.

"Ready!" Jacob replied with two thumbs up.

"Do you remember what the teacher told you about steering and everything?"

"Yes," Jacob nodded with certainty.

"I'll be in one of those karts right over there. If you need me just wave your hand and I'll find you ok?"

"I will," Jacob assured him.

"Ok, have fun."

As Cody checked the seat belt one last time then stood to make his way to his own cart Jacob said "You have fun too, Cody!"

"I will."

"All set?" Steve asked as he slipped his phone back into his pocket after taking another picture.

"All set," Cody and Jacob said in unison.

"Ok then, Cody and I gonna get into our karts. If you need anything … "

Jacob cut him off. "I know, raise my hand and wave it around."

"Exactly." Steve smiled. "You ready to go?"

"I'm ready!" Jacob grabbed the steering wheel with two hands as he'd been instructed.

As they made their way the short distance to the adult karts Steve said, "I'll keep an eye on Jacob. You go ahead and just race."

Cody looked around at the small group of other racers strapping themselves into karts. "You think I can take this crowd?"

Steve laughed. "I think I want to see how well you avoid the safety rails so I know if I need to take out extra insurance on my truck before we go driving."

Once Steve and Cody were settled in their karts they eased gently over towards Jacob who greeted them with a wave and a smile. After an official race countdown the 'GO' signal was given and the karts accelerated.

Cody looked through his helmet visor at Steve who nodded for Cody to go and the teenager pressed the accelerator and took off in pursuit of the other racers. Steve then shifted his attention to Jacob and could see the look of intense concentration on the young boy's face as he set off on the figure eight course.

In the first turn he steered the car directly into the safety barrier.

Steve started towards him but Jacob followed the exact directions he'd been given by the instructor and was back on track in no time. By the third of the races eleven laps Jacob could navigate the entire track only brushing the safety barriers occasionally.

Their first heat of fourteen racers finished with Cody in third position and Steve and Jacob pulling up the rear. Considering Jacob was by far the youngest racer on the track Steve thought he put on a more than respectable showing.

"That was fun," Jacob said excitedly as one of the track workers undid his seatbelt and helped him out of the kart. "Wasn't that fun, Commander? That was so fun. I only hit the wall a few times, too."

"You did great Jacob," Steve assured him as he took Jacob's helmet before the excited youngster ended up smacking himself on the head with it as he waved his arms around animatedly, re-living the ride.

Steve saw Cody approaching with a big smile.

"I had fun, Cody! Did you have fun," Jacob bubbled. "Did you win?"

"Almost," Cody said. "I tried to go low in the final turn and got boxed out."

Steve smiled. "You'll get 'em next time."

"Darn right I will," Cody smirked.

* * *

After two more races, with both Jacob and Cody getting more skilled at handling the kart with each lap, the three hungry racers decided to break for lunch.

Steve eyed the food court area looking for a table. The place was indeed getting crowded with families, teens, scout groups and a few harried looking parents corralling kids into the spaces designated for birthday parties. "Why don't you guys grab that table and I'll get us some menus?" He motioned to an empty table for four and Cody nodded.

"Can I go with the Commander to get the menus?" Jacob bounced in place. "Please?" He looked at Steve, and then his brother. "Please, Cody? I'll be good, _Please_, can I?"

"Jacob …" Cody began, clearly not wanting him to be a bother, but Steve grinned and said, "Think you can handle getting a table without Jacob's help?" and the teenager's lips rose in a grateful half smile.

"Yeah, I got it. Go with Commander McGarrett, Jacob."

"Yea!" Jacob reached for Steve's hand again and he looked up with a huge smile. "This is _so _fun! I'm having fun. Are you having fun, Commander?"

"I'm having a lot of fun, Jacob." Steve nodded and the little boy beamed. "There're the menus, can you grab three?"

"I can carry 'em?"

"You can carry them. Let's go figure out what we're gonna eat."

Jacob smiled ear-to-ear all the way back to the table, where he kneeled up on the bench next to Cody and proudly handed out the menus.

They studied the food choices and Jacob announced, "I think I want a hot dog. Or maybe the chicken nuggets. What are you gettin'?" he asked his brother.

"Probably the cheeseburger." Cody glanced at Steve.

"Get whatever you want. You too, Jacob." Steve knew Cody was careful about not overspending; it had actually taken him awhile to accept Steve's offers to pay for a meal or a snack. It was obvious he didn't want his mentor to think he was taking advantage.

Another thing Jenna could be proud of, Steve thought.

"Can I get fries, too?" Jacob asked and Cody smiled.

"How about we split the fries? They look pretty big." He pointed to the huge baskets of fries the people at the next table were eating.

"'Kay." Jacob nodded.

"So what's it gonna be?" Steve tapped the menu.

"What are you gettin', Commander? Do you like hot dogs? Or do you like hamburgers better? Lieutenant Catherine and me got hot dogs at the park."

"And I," Cody automatically corrected.

"And_ I,_" Jacob said as he grinned at the memory. "I'm gonna get a hot dog."

"Well then, I think I'll have to get a hot dog, too." Steve winked at Cody. "What about you?"

"I'll get the cheeseburger."

"And fries!" Jacob reminded him.

"And fries. To _share_." He stood. "I'll go put the order in, if you want." He dug into his pocket. "We have …"

Steve pulled out his wallet and handed Cody a fifty. "I got this one. Get drinks, too. I'll take a …"

"Water, and two hot dogs, right?"

"Right." Steve smiled. Cody was beginning to know his habits.

"Cody, I want a soda. Mommy said I could have a soda today …"

"She said you could have a _small _soda."

"Yeah. Sprite, okay?"

"Gotcha. Sprite."

"And don't forget the ketchup," Jacob reminded him.

"I won't forget the ketchup," Cody smiled as he ambled off toward the order window after he said, "Thanks, Commander. Say thank you, Jacob."

"Thank you, Commander." Jacob watched his brother's back for a few seconds before he turned back to Steve. "When you get home, tell Lieutenant Catherine I had the hot dog again, 'kay? That we both did. Cause she said she likes hot dogs and they're my favorite, too."

"I definitely will, I promise." Steve held up his hand just as his cell rang and Catherine appeared on the ID. "Look at that, you can tell her yourself. Looks like Lieutenant Catherine and your mom are calling to say Hi."

"Hey. Having fun?" Steve said when he picked up.

"_Definitely. We're about to have lunch. And cheesecake."_

"Well there's somebody here who wants to say hello." Steve put the phone on speaker and held it out.

"Lieutenant Catherine! We're havin' hot dogs! With ketchup, like you and me had at the park, remember?"

"_I remember." _Steve could hear the smile in her voice.

"The Commander is getting _two. _Cody is getting a cheeseburger. What are you and Mommy doin'?"

"_We're having lunch, too. Here, say hi."_

"Hi, Mommy!" Jacob said loud enough that Steve grinned. "I drove the go kart and it was a red one and I'm bein' good!"

"_Your mom said good job. Can I talk to Commander McGarrett again?"_

"Yep. He's right here. Bye, Lieutenant Catherine!"

"_Bye, Jacob." _

Steve took the phone off speaker and said, "Yeah, we're both having hot dogs," and grinned at Jacob's huge smile. "We'll be back about 1500 hours, we're right on schedule. See you later. Have fun."

He ended the call just as Cody returned with the food-laden tray.

"That looks good, huh, Jacob? Let's eat so we can get back to the track."

While they ate, Jacob told Steve all about his school, Mrs. R., and how when he gets big he's going to have a dog like Cammie.

As Cody went to dump the garbage and return the tray Jacob looked up at Steve. "I got a new book at the library. When Miss Kristin told us about the new books this month, I told her I wanted to read that one right away."

"Did you? What book?" Steve smiled at Jacob's enthusiasm.

"_Tuesday Tucks Me In_. It's about a veter … " Jacob's face scrunched up in thought, "Veter … you know, somebody who was in the Navy or Army, like you and Lieutenant Catherine."

"Veteran," Steve supplied with a grin.

"Yeah! A _veteran_. His name is Luis, and his dog is Tuesday. It's a really good book. Tuesday helps him do things because he needs help with some stuff cause he got hurt in a war.

I read it two times already with Cody and once with my mom. I don't know why Tuesday's name is Tuesday, but it's a good name, I think. He's big, like Cammie, but he's yellow. You should read it with Lieutenant Catherine and Cammie."

"Thanks for the suggestion," Steve smiled. "I just might do that."

* * *

Since the facility was getting busier and there were a lot more racers present the juniors were being divided into their own heats.

"Are you gonna be ok without the Commander or me being out there with you?" Cody asked with a tinge of worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine," Jacob said confidently. "I'm doin' really good. Right, Commander?"

"Yes, you are," Steve said genuinely. "Cody and I will be standing right there." He pointed to a spot in the spectator gallery. "If you need anything just give us the signal."

"I will," Jacob assured them with a determined look on his face.

Cody helped his little brother secure his helmet and seatbelt then he and Steve moved to the observation area. Jacob took off without a problem and by the end of the twelve lap race he was firmly entrenched in the middle of the pack.

"Good job!" Cody said as Jacob exited his cart and immediately looked around for his brother and the Commander.

He approached them helmet in hand, beaming ear to ear. "I didn't hit the wall at all." He raised his hand and gave Cody a high five.

"No, you didn't. You did great," Steve smiled broadly before accepting a fist bump of his own.

"The helper," Jacob indicated one of the track workers, "said the next race is for the older people. So you two get to go this time."

Cody hesitated. "I don't think I should leave Jacob here alone. Why don't you go, Commander McGarrett?"

"No, I'm good. You're the one that needs the practice driving," Steve grinned. "You go ahead."

"Excuse me," the young track worker who had helped Jacob out of his kart several times said. "I wasn't eavesdropping but …. I'm doing the scoring for this next race and I could certainly use an assistant. So if the two of you would both like to race I can keep an eye on the little guy."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

"Positive," the girl who Steve judged to be in her very early twenties answered. "I'd be happy to."

"Thanks," Steve smiled at her sincerely then turned to Cody. "Let's do this."

It was a close race but in the end Steve edged out Cody by a kart length for the win.

"You won, Commander," Jacob clapped excitedly as Steve and Cody approached after the race. "And you did really good too, Cody."

"Thanks, Jacob," Cody smiled.

Steve looked at his watch. "Well, I wish we could stay here all day but I told your mom I'd have you back by three. Thank Mindy for letting you help score," he smiled.

"Thanks, Mindy," Jacob said.

"Anytime, Jacob."

* * *

**Allen's Apartment**

**3:00 P.M.**

At practically 1500 hours on the dot Cody opened the apartment door to find Jenna sitting on the couch folding laundry from the basket on the floor in front of her.

"You're very punctual," she smiled at Steve.

"It's a way of life," Steve chuckled.

"We had fun and I was good and I ate all my hot dog and I only hit the wall a few times and I listened to the teachers and I got to help Miss Mindy keep score and I drank all my Sprite and Cody and me … and I … shared fries and the Commander won the race but Cody was close and …"

"Take a breath, honey," Jenna laughed as Jacob climbed on the couch beside her. She turned her gaze on Steve and Cody. "Looks like you guys had fun."

"We really did," Cody smiled. "It was awesome."

"Did you thank Commander McGarrett?" Jenna asked.

"Both of them did," Steve assured her. "Several times."

Jenna smiled at her sons. "Good."

"Now I need to get going. Catherine is expecting me home. But I'll pick you up tomorrow morning to go driving. Sound good?"

"I'll be ready," Cody smiled.

"Excellent. I'll see you then." Steve nodded.

"Thanks again, Commander McGarrett," Cody said as they walked towards the door.

"Thanks, Commander," Jacob called from the couch.

"You're both welcome. I had a ball. We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Maybe Lieutenant Catherine can come next time," Jacob suggested excitedly.

"I'm sure she'd love that," Steve said. "Of course she'll probably wipe the floor with all three of us."

Jenna chuckled, and Steve threw her a knowing look before heading out the door.

* * *

**McGarrett/Rollins Home**

**3:20 P.M.**

Steve walked out the back door of the house and found Catherine relaxing on the deck with a cold beer.

"How'd your day go?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder.

"Great." Steve dropped down in the chair beside her. "We had fun. All three of us. I took a bunch of pictures. I thought maybe I could have Grace put something together for Jenna"

"That's very thoughtful. I'm sure she'll love it," Catherine took his hand. "See I knew Jacob would be fine with you. He's such a sweet boy."

Steve's voice was soft. "He held my hand a couple of times."

"That's adorable." Catherine was smiling.

"It …" Steve looked at her, "reminded me of the first time Gracie did that ... first time she called me Uncle Steve, too."

"Aww. I remember how happy you sounded when you told me about it. There was this … I don't know, amazement in your voice. I couldn't wait to meet her."

He nodded. "Danny picked me up at the house. It had been his weekend and we were dropping Gracie at school on the way into HQ. I opened the front door and she just … hugged me." Steve's smile was reflective. "She almost knocked me off my feet," he chuckled. "I bent down to hug her back and when she let go she said, "C'mon, Uncle Steve, Danno's waiting in the car. We don't wanna be late."

"And just like that, she was family." Catherine smiled.

"Just like that." Steve was beaming at the memory. "And she grabbed my hand and held it all the way to the Camaro."

"I know how much that meant to you." Catherine took his hand and ran her thumb across his knuckles. "I could hear it in your voice."

Steve nodded. "I was in a … not great place. I'd just buried Dad, you were back on deployment, Freddie was …" He shook his head.

"I know. I'm so sorry you were alone." Catherine's heart was in her eyes.

"Hey, hey, you got back here as soon as you could. And you called. And called." He lifted their hands and kissed her knuckles. "And called." A smile graced his features.

"And you'd met Danny."

"I'd met Danny. And Gracie, and …"

"And you fought like brothers and I could tell you had a friend, every time you mentioned him." Catherine smiled at the memory. "And then a couple of weeks later …"

"Gracie called me Uncle Steve, and took my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. She just … trusted me. And Danny trusted me with the most precious thing in his life, and …"

"And it was exactly what you needed."

Steve looked in her eyes. "Yeah."

Catherine leaned up and kissed his cheek softly, "Grace tapped into what I've _always _known, and she was immediately comfortable with you." She gently squeezed his fingers. "She'll always trust you, because she knows she absolutely can. With anything."

"I love you." Steve leaned in to kiss her gently.

"I love you," Catherine purred. "Now what do you suppose we can find to occupy our time for the rest of the afternoon?"

"We're very resourceful," Steve growled as he dipped his head for another kiss.

"Perhaps we should go inside and discuss this further rather than giving the neighbors a show."

"Sounds good to me." Steve stood up and slipped his arm around Catherine when she did the same. "Jacob wants you to come with us next time we go go-kart racing."

"I'd love to," Catherine smiled. "I'm not taking it easy on you though. Any of you. I play to win."

"I'd expect no less," Steve smiled as they reached the door. "But for right now let's concentrate on something we can both win at."

**THE END**

* * *

The book Jacob mentions is called _Tuesday Tucks Me In: The Loyal Bond between a Soldier and His Service Dog_ by Luis Carlos Montalvan. There is a book about Tuesday and Luis for adults called _Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him._

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